What do I think of Trump hawking Bibles? I’m unsurprised because we’ve been here before

A lot of folks are asking my opinion on Trump hawking bibles. On the surface, I’m unsurprised by this while also being mildly amused at the shock of others, as if this is even remotely the worst thing the man has done. This was always a race to the bottom, and we aren’t even there yet, friends. My honest opinion is what should upset you, what should cause you pause and fear, is that this isn’t even close to the bottom; we are just getting started.

Frankly, I’m thankful for Trump selling Bibles because it’s another glaring light on the hypocrisy within the institutional church. Growing up, I would get smacked if I even put another book on top of the Bible. Many Evangelicals give the same divinity-level adoration to a printed book as Roman Catholics do the Eucharist. They’ve forgotten that Jesus is the Word of God and that the Bible is just man’s words about their perception of God at a finite time in history. 

Honestly, Christianity has been looking for a new messiah for a while. That old, smelly hippy from the Middle East is too foreign, too woke, and too forgiving. They want blood! 

Trump knows good and goddamn well that folks are trying to deify him, and he’s playing right into it. It does not help that the government keeps lining his legal sh+t up on Holy Week two years in a row. 

When I found out that Donald Trump would be arrested during Passion Week last year, I knew that it was only a matter of time before his staunch supporters would begin making comparisons. Not to disappoint, Marjorie Taylor Green did exactly that the day of his arrest, “Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today — Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government." While it is true that Jesus was arrested, put on trial, and executed by the Romans, the similarities between Jesus and Trump end there. 

I can’t help but laugh that the same crowd who call me a heretic are now acting like it’s completely normal and in no way heresy to essentially put Jesus and Trump in the same billing when it comes to being arrested. However, this was an entirely predictable outcome. Of course, they would draw comparisons to Jesus.

Interestingly, Donald Trump does bear some similarities to a biblical character from Passion Week: Barabbas.

Jesus was a radical outsider, but not for the same reasons as someone like Trump. Jesus was loving, accepting, and paid his taxes (Matthew 17:24-27). But probably one of the most important differences is that Jesus was blameless. This is an essential part of theology and the narrative of his arrest and crucifixion. 

The arrest of Jesus ultimately led to a trial where Pontus Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man.” Eventually, he decided to hand the justice system over to the people and let them decide. There was a custom at the time to release one prisoner during the season of Passover. Now, this is one of those moments where the translators of the Bible really failed us.

Most of us know that Jesus’ real name is Yeshua, which more accurately translates into Joshua. Those who translated the scripture decided that since there was already a Joshua in the Bible, they would give the Messiah the name Jesus so as not to cause confusion. They also did something similar when translating the narrative of the trial of Jesus. Unfortunately, this has resulted in us losing one of the most essential parts of the story.

Pilate presented the crowd with two people for potential pardon: Jesus and Barabbas. 

Barabbas was a populist figure in Rome. According to the scriptures, he was a political rebel who caused an insurrection against the Roman government that resulted in death. He has been arrested for his part in leading this rebellion and was awaiting his fate.

What most translations leave out of the narrative is that Barabbas is his surname, which means “son of the father” or “son of the teacher,” but his first name is Yeshua. 

When Pilate presents these two men to the crowd, he gives them a choice: they can only release one of them. This is what Pilate actually said, when more accurately translated, “Which one do you wish for me to release? Jesus, son of the teacher, or Jesus, son of God?” What’s even more fascinating is that many also called Jesus by the name Barabbas because he is also the son of the Father. This point would not have been lost on the crowd.

When Jesus entered the city on what is now known as Palm Sunday, those in attendance hoped that Jesus would be arriving to lead a rebellion. They are paying especially close attention to how he would arrive. If he showed up on a war horse, they would know it was time to fight. Instead, Jesus rode in on a donkey, a sign of peace.

Many folks were disappointed because they hoped this new King of Kings would defy the Romans and bring about a new era. It became clear that Jesus wasn’t here for violence or to overthrow the government. This infuriated many in the crowd, especially followers of Barabbas.

So when it came time to choose between Jesus, the prince of peace, or Jesus, the violent insurrectionist, they chose the latter. 

Trump is unquestionably following the Russian playbook of authoritarianism. It began with Russia returning to a tsar-like relationship with the Moscow Patriarchate and has now devolved into making gay pride illegal, heavily regulating abortion, ending free speech, and the list goes on. Trump is planning a dictatorship; they aren’t hiding this. He is selling Bibles because people will buy them. Trump is separating the wheat from the chaff, attempting to find his most loyal crowd. He wants to offend those sitting on the fence because he is looking for those willing to fight for him, lie for him, and die for him. 

Now, here we are yet again, some two thousand years later. We still have the Jesus of peace, the one who calls us to love our neighbor, pray for our enemies, and care for those who are rejected by society. On the other hand, we have a violent insurrectionist touting a populist view who has also been arrested. Marjorie Taylor Green is not alone in comparing Donald Trump to Jesus. But which Jesus is she comparing him to? Jesus, son of the teacher, or Jesus, son of God. Which one will the Church choose today? 

This means we are now faced with the same question Pilate asked on that fateful day, “Which Jesus do you want?”